Sep 13, 2011 - Claremont, CA -

Harvey Mudd College (HMC) was named no. 1 among the nation's undergraduate engineering programs in U.S.News & World Report's annual college rankings, released today. Moving up from last year's no. 2 position, HMC shares the top spot for undergraduate engineering (at institutions whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's) with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. HMC's broad but deep engineering program received special recognition in the "Best in the Specialties" listings, ranking third in Computer Engineering, and fourth in both Mechanical Engineering and Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering.

In addition to reclaiming the no. 1 spot in undergraduate engineering, last held in 2009, HMC retained its prestigious ranking as a Top 20 Best Liberal Arts College. Among the nation's 252 private and public liberal arts colleges, HMC was ranked at no. 18 for the second year in a row. Nationwide, only two national liberal arts colleges ranked higher than HMC for selectivity. HMC had the highest SAT/ACT percentile range (25th-75th) among its incoming students and the third highest percentage of first-years who ranked in the top 10 percent in their high school class (89 percent).

HMC's commitment to providing high-level undergraduate research experience was recognized in "Programs to Look For"—a ranking of academic programs that are commonly linked to student success. In this ranking, HMC was one of a select group included in the "Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects" category, which rates outstanding programs where students carry out intensive and self-directed research or create work that results in an original scholarly paper or product.

HMC's overall ranking is based on a host of indicators of academic excellence, including: undergraduate academic reputation (22.5 percent); graduation and retention rates (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent); student selectivity (15 percent); financial resources (10 percent); graduation rate performance (7.5 percent); and alumni giving (5 percent).

"This great honor reflects not only the excellence of our unique approach to education, but also the real impact of our faculty, our alumni, our students, our staff and our trustees," said HMC President Maria Klawe. "Together, we are truly making a difference in the lives of students and preparing them to be well-rounded leaders with the multidisciplinary skills needed to solve the world's most pressing problems."

The 350-page 2012 edition of the Best Colleges guidebook is available at USNews.com and will be on newsstands Sept. 20.